Jason Bateman to Direct and Star in FBI Wedding Comedy for Universal

Jason Bateman is lining up another project, but this time as a director. The actor recently made his directorial debut with the very funny comedy Bad Words, and now he has been set to direct and star in an untitled FBI wedding comedy for Universal. The film revolves around two undercover FBI agents who pretend to fall in love in order to use their wedding as a law enforcement trap against the mob. The project has actually been in development for years, initially coming together at Warner Bros. as a star vehicle for Steve Carell, though he’s no longer involved with the film.

Hit the jump for more, including the status of Bateman’s next directorial effort.

Per THR, playwright David Bar Katz is currently writing a new take on the script for the wedding comedy, as earlier drafts were written by David Flebotte and Phil Alden Robinson.

It’s unclear how quickly the pic will come together, but Bateman sure is building up a strong slate of projects as a director. He’s currently in pre-production on The Family Fang, which he will also direct. Based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Wilson, the picstarts production in New York next month with Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken set to star and a screenplay by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire.

On the acting side of things, Bateman will be seen this fall in Shawn Levy’s promising ensemble dramedy This Is Where I Leave You alongside Tina Fey, Adam Driver, and Jane Fonda.There’s also the comedy sequel Horrible Bosses 2, slated for release over the Thanksgiving weekend, but other than that it appears that Bateman has been very focused on putting together his directorial projects. Bad Words was a promising start, and I’m definitely eager to see more from Jason Bateman the director.

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